This weekend, Hayley Techner will return to her home state and have the opportunity to face the school she almost attended.
Techner, a California native, is part of the MSU women's water polo team, which will compete at California Polytechnic (CPU) in San Luis Obispo, Calif., in the three-day National Collegiate Club Championship - the Olympics of water polo.
For her, the meeting will be personal: Techner grew up in Santa Cruz, a mere two hours north of CPU. Although she considered choosing the school over MSU, she said she has no loyalty or partiality toward it - she's a Spartan through and through.
"I have friends that play for the team, but I won't feel bad shaking their hands when we beat them," Techner said.
Last season, CPU defeated MSU in the championship game.
"That loss has served as a motivating factor this season to get back to the championship and win it," said MSU head coach Erika Cooper, who played for the Spartans from 1994 to 1999.
Now, almost a year after the devastating loss, MSU is looking to prove once again that a Midwestern team can compete in the California-dominated sport. In fact, Carolyn Welch, a senior on the team, said CPU will be apprehensive about defending its title.
"Cal Poly is a younger team this year, and with us having such a strong senior class, they have to be a little nervous," Welch said. "The fact that some of us have had this same experience in a high-pressure game can really be advantageous."
In order to gain a national championship bid, the team had to place first in the Big Ten Championships. MSU did just that on April 18 by defeating Purdue in the final game. The tournament was held at IM Sports-West for the first time since 1999. That win made them Big Ten Champions for the fourth consecutive year.
By the conclusion of this weekend, the Spartans will have appeared in the championship for an unprecedented five consecutive years, a feat no other men's or women's club team has accomplished. In 2000, the women made it to the championship tournament for the first time since 1996 and finished second. Since then, they have earned four consecutive bids, placing first in 2001 and 2002 and finishing second last season.
"Only 12 teams in the nation get to go each year, and to be the top team twice - there aren't many people who get to have that experience," Welch said.
The team's record is all the more impressive considering women's water polo is designated as a club sport, so team members fund themselves. The only Big Ten teams that have enjoyed more success are Michigan and Indiana, which now both are varsity teams and receive university funding.
Having trained since the fall, MSU's team is more than ready to face the tough tournament competition, senior driver Nancy Rayel said.
"Physically, we're ready," Rayel said. "Mentally, it's up to us as a team to come together."
Already en route to California, the team will play two games on Friday, followed by one game each on Saturday and Sunday. For Welch, the weekend will be bittersweet because it marks the end of a chapter in her life.
"It's a little weird to say these are going to be the last four games I'm ever going to play competitively. It came really fast," Welch said. "Realizing I only have a few games left is pretty hard."
